When I first heard about Phoenix band Chandails I assumed that they were some all girl group with big hair and angelic voices based on their band name, which in French means sweaters. My 17-year-old self was so wrong. In a way I grew up along side this band and have followed their skuzzy telecaster driven jams for as long as they have been around. This summer was their first tour as a band and was my first tour too, cool!
Lets get back to the point though. Chandails are a super great project full of young dudes who really know what they are doing. Mixing surf elements and classic garage rock styling with pop sensibility these four young dudes really have it going on. The self-released tape that they have out right now is a collection of seven songs recorded at a few of the members’ homes that sound pretty lo-fi. The way it’s mixed is pretty odd but I like that the vocals are pretty up front in the mix because whenever I see these dudes live I can’t always make out the lyrics. Think the earlier millennium LA noise pop scene jammers mixed with some no wave stuff and at times a twist of buddy holly vibes.
I like all the songs on here but I definitely have my favorites! Spaniard the obvious single and the first track on this tape is really catchy. I feel like it’s about the Spanish colonizing a lot of central and Latin America and how they aren’t really here anymore, but it’s hard to tell! My favorite slammer is the sixth song on the tape and it’s called “Still Peaking” which is driven by the bass line and changes its vibe but remains steady throughout. The lyrics discuss some wild journey that seems to be highly influential and taking place in an individual’s own world. Separating from a group of people, tanning in India, all sorts of bizarre stuff, then regret. Needless to say Still Peaking is an amazing narrative that I can’t get enough of.
Overall this is a cool tape. The dub isn’t that great and takes some getting used to but the art is really nice and once this tape is in your tape player it won’t be coming out anytime soon. I got my copy at Eastside Records in Tempe, AZ when these dudes played the grand re-opening at Eastside’s new location, but you can pay what you want for it over at their bandcamp!
Buy and Listen HERE!
Posts
